For the leaders of People's Poland, the Church was the number one public enemy. They did nothing to limit the influence of the "state-spoiling" clergy. It seemed that the election of a Pole to the papacy would be a big blow to the authorities. However, it turned out to be quite beneficial - in at least one area.
Karol Wojtyła was certainly not the favorite of communist dignitaries. As in the book "About kulisach III RP" claims former policeman, policeman and MP Jerzy Dziewulski, the future Holy Father was under surveillance since 1949. The communist authorities viewed his career in the Church with reluctance, even trying to block his appointment to the bishop of Krakow at the end of 1963.
Did the authorities of the People's Republic of Poland see any benefits for themselves in the pontificate of John Paul II?
The decision of the conclave, which entrusted Wojtyla with the throne of Peter on October 16, 1978, must at least initially cause panic among the leaders of the Polish United Workers' Party. After all, it was impossible to predict how the Polish pontificate would affect the position of the Church in the country. Dziewulski claims, however, that the party quickly noticed the potential benefits of the new situation . How is that possible?
"Polish specialty"
According to the politician, the election of Wojtyła to the pope opened up new possibilities before… the interview. As she emphasizes, it was previously believed that "spying on the Vatican was a Polish specialty." Agents from the Vistula River reportedly achieved many successes in this field, intercepting, among others, President John F. Kennedy's letter to Paul VI, containing information about the political goals of the US head.
How did the accession of John Paul II to the papal throne changed this situation? Well, after October 16, 1978, the activity of communist spies definitely intensified. In the book "About the scenes of the PRL" Dziewulski explains:
Polish PRL decision-makers wanted to absorb all the information flowing from the Vatican like a sponge. Anyway, Karol Wojtyła appealed for an increase in the number of Polish clergy in the structures of the Roman Curia, which was excellent news for Polish intelligence . This opened up new possibilities. It is known for a long time that the decisions of the Vatican have an impact on world politics. And this is especially important when our compatriot becomes the head of state.
In 1978, it was not known how the pontificate of John Paul II would affect the situation of the Church in Poland. Photo from the Pope's pilgrimage in 1979.
So it seems that the promotion of the Polish cardinal definitely improved the "circulation of information" in the Vistula agency. The former MP also speculates what the Polish authorities might have wanted to achieve by placing as many secret collaborators as possible around the new Pope:
The KGB later ordered our intelligence to pursue a policy aimed at deepening the divergence between the Vatican, led by Karol Wojtyla, and the US. In addition, Polish agents were to cause divisions within the Vatican.
All information about the Polish Pope was also collected, even noting… what is his favorite brand of razor blades. Have these activities had any measurable effects? Hard to say. Especially since Wojtyła most likely expected surveillance by his countrymen. "I have no doubt that John Paul II was aware that he was swarmed with Polish spies" - emphasizes Dziewulski.
"They blew on all sides as long as there was no attack"
Interestingly, the politician spoke about the possible participation of the PRL authorities in the attack on John Paul II, which took place in 1981. In view of his previous comments, it is not surprising that he definitely rules out any Polish initiative. In "About the scenes of the Third Polish Republic" it even claims that our agents tried their best ... to keep the Pope safe:
It is obvious that the first suspicions would fall on the Polish People's Republic. Therefore, it even happened that Polish agents, as soon as they received information about potential attacks, were to immediately forward it directly to the Vatican's head of papal security.
And if someone does not believe it, let them remember how the decision-makers of the People's Republic of Poland literally came out of their skin when the Pope came on a pilgrimage to Poland. The authorities literally blew and blew on everything , as long as there was no attack .
Undoubtedly, this is a version of the story that differs from the textbook version. But one thing is certain:even if the authorities of the People's Republic of Poland benefited from Wojtyła's pontificate by placing a whole host of new agents in the Vatican, hoping to use the pope for their own purposes, they definitely overestimated their abilities.
Source:
Trivia is the essence of our website. Short materials devoted to interesting anecdotes, surprising details from the past, strange news from the old press. Reading that will take you no more than 3 minutes, based on single sources. This particular material is based on the book:
- Jerzy Dziewulski in conversation with Krzysztof Pyzia, About the scenes of the 3rd Republic of Poland , Prószyński i S-ka 2019.